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7 Fun Things to do in Norfolk

Dec 7

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Articles, Christmas, Coast, Cottages Search, family days out, Food and Drink, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, Norfolk, shopping and culture | No Comments

Below is a guest post from Kett Country Cottages in Norfolk. Let us know what you think — it’s always interesting to get a different point of view, and we’re hoping to do more of these in future. Looking for more ideas? You can read our Norfolk holiday guide on the main Holiday Cottages site.

We all enjoy the traditional Christmas feast with our family, but what else is there to do if you decide to go on holiday in Norfolk this festive season? Going on holiday to this part of England can add some extra excitement to your family Christmas, so go out and have an adventure this year!

  1. Going for a Christmas swim. In Norfolk, the glory of the North Sea is there for all to enjoy, with a number of hardy folk jumping into the sea over Christmas time. There are 3 on consecutive days, so you can go to one or all of them, depending on your tolerance for cold.
  2. Enjoy a Christmas Spectacular. In Thursford, you have the opportunity to enjoy one of the most popular Christmas shows, which features carols, dancers, beautiful costumes and wonderful music. It’s an event the whole family can enjoy. (Shows every day at 2pm and 7pm until the 23rd December)
  3. Take a trip on a heritage railway. A number of different lines throughout Norfolk, including the Poppy Line, are running festive services where you can enjoy a train journey to see Santa, travelling through the countryside while munching on mince pies.
  4. Visit a Norwich Christmas Market. There are a large number of special Christmas Markets happening throughout Norwich, which each offer a unique range of little gifts and treats for the whole family to enjoy when you return to your Christmas holiday cottage. In the Mall, you can find the Norwich Christmas Craft Fair (From 9am every day until 24th December)
  5. Attend the Pantomime. This year Sleeping Beauty is playing at the Norwich Theatre Royal until the 14th of January, so you can take the whole family to enjoy the fun and laughter of a panto featuring well-known actors, and songs that everyone can sing along to.
  6. Take a guided walk or tour. Some of the most interesting sights in Norfolk can only seen if you know where to look and a guide can help you find them. There are a number of different guided tours happening, including:
    • Victorian Ghosts, a walk hosted by the Man in Black, who will tell you the unusual stories that aren’t told on most ghost walks. You can also finish off in the festive spirit with some mulled wine (Adam & Eve Pub, Norwich, 22nd December at 7pm)
    • The Boxing Day walk at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, will allow you to get a guided tour around this beautiful garden from its head gardener, ending with mince pies and mulled wines (South Walsham, 26th December at 11am)
  7. Watch Morris Dancing. This traditional English dancing is being performed by the Kemps Men of Norwich, including their Mummers Dance. This is a fun event that the whole family can watch and enjoy. (Banningham Crown Pub, 26th December at 12 noon)


Durham Lumiere

Nov 23

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, art, Articles, Availability, Coast, Cottages Search, Durham, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, shopping and culture, Tips, Uncategorized, Walking | No Comments

Cedric Le Borgne 'Les Voyageurs'

Deadgood Studio 'Rainbow'

Jaques Rival 'I Love Durham'

This weekend I went to the Lumiere festival in Durham. It was a wonderful event which showed off this beautiful city to its best advantage. Light art illuminated prominent parts of this historic place, such as Kingsgate bridge transformed into a huge illuminated waterfall entitled ‘Splash’ by artist Peter Lewis and engineered by Water Sculptures. Martin Warren lit up three more of Durham’s bridges, Cedric Le Borgne suspended brightly illuminated sculptures of men above a particularly narrow cobbled street giving a magical essence to the walk. These, along with many more made for a really enjoyable experience and would also encourage me to visit again, even without the festival.

A small drive away in Northallerton are these 4 cottages which sleep 2-4. These former farm buildings have been imaginatively converted into 4 well equipped and attractive holiday cottages. Original beams have been retained and there is central heating for year round appeal. All the cottages have TV with Freeview, video and radio cassette/CD player, fully equipped kitchens with washer/dryer, fridge/freezer, dishwasher and microwave, cots and highchairs. The cottages are set in peaceful countryside and have magnificent views. They are perfect if you want to combine a visit to Durham, with great walks and even a drive over to the seaside with Whitby within easy reach.

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New look, new treasures

May 4

Posted by jason in art, Cottages Search, Exhibitions, Fun, Online Magazine, reports, Scotland, shopping and culture | 1 Comment


One of the largest-ever museum redevelopments in the UK will be opened on 29 July when the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh reveals its spectacularly redeveloped Victorian galleries.


The aim is to take visitors on an inspiring journey through cultures across the world, the wonders of nature and the excitement of science and discovery. Displays include 8,000 newly selected objects from the museum’s extensive collections.


The Museum was founded in the mid-19th century and has its roots in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment. When it opened its first bespoke buildings in 1866, it reflected Victorian ideals of education and sought to show the world under one roof.


Visitors to the new museum begin their journey in the atmospheric new street level vaulted entrance hall, then progress to the stunning Grand Gallery atrium, which has a range of spectacular large objects at floor level, including a marble statue of engineer James Watt and a lighthouse optic designed by the Stevenson dynasty.


The museum’s single largest installation is the Window on the World, a soaring display of over 800 objects which rises up over four storeys. It gives a foretaste of the inspiring themes in the galleries beyond; from the jaws of a spermwhale inscribed with the largest ‘scrimshaw’ carving in the world to the Pembridge helm, one of only four surviving 13th century knight’s helmets.


The Discoveries gallery tells the story of pioneering Scots who have revolutionised the modern world, including Sir Alexander Fleming, James Watt, Charles Darwin and John Logie Baird.


In the galleries of the natural world hundreds of zoological and geological specimens are displayed, ranging from a 4.5 billion year old meteorite from Mars that has been extensively researched for signs of life, to a breathtaking wildlife panorama suspended in mid air, a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a great white shark.


Finally, the world cultures galleries give an insight into the lives and cultures of people across the world. They display internationally important artefacts and outline some of the stories behind the early collections.


The redesign is the work of award-winning practice Gareth Hoskins Architects and international exhibition designer Ralph Appelbaum.

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Review of 2010

Jan 5

Posted by elisa in art, Articles, Coast, Cottages Search, Devon, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, News, North West, Rail, shopping and culture, Surveys, Tips, Tourist Board, Transport, Wales, Walking, Weather, West Country, Yorkshire | 1 Comment

2010 was a year jam-packed with travel related news stories, festivals and events. I’ve taken the liberty of collating some of Holiday Cottages’ best blog posts over the year to give an overall review so you don’t have to go searching for them yourself!

January started with testing out my culinary skills at the Ashburton Cookery School in Devon.

A survey in February showed high speed rail was more important to people than airport expansions.

The Shambles in York was voted most picturesque street in March. There was also trouble on the railways with a Network Rail threatened strike.

Easter was a staycation preference in April.

There were many family fun festivals between May and August.

Even before the Royal wedding announcement we found out how the Royals are key to UK tourism.

27 West Country beaches were awarded blue flags in August, showing that the West Country is a great place to visit!

We were given tips on how to give tourists a better welcome during the Olympics.

Taxing times for holiday rental businesses.

The famous Exmoor Food Festival was in October, tickling visitor’s taste buds!

Bonfire Night had many events to travel to, including the flaming barrel run in Ottery St. Mary’s!

It got very cold in November and December as part of the big freeze.

The year ended with a little early Christmas cheer for the travel industry!

So there’s a pick of the Holiday Cottages blog coverage of events and news over the year. For travel news pertaining to outbound travel don’t forget to check out our sister site’s blog, Villaseek. There will be a run down of the year’s news on there very soon also!

Happy New Year from Holiday Cottages!

Jan 4

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Christmas, Food and Drink, shopping and culture, Tourist Board, Weather, Yorkshire | No Comments

It’s a few days in to the New Year and I’d like to wish all readers of the blog a Happy New Year on behalf of all at Holiday Cottages!

I hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas as well as New Year and haven’t been caught up in any of the travel chaos or lack of water. Soon I’ll do a round up of some of the top Holiday Cottages blog posts throughout this year, in case you missed out on any corkers.

But for now, let us indulge in thinking of the holidays gone by, and ignore the fact that most of us are back at work today. I spent most of my holiday period at home in Yorkshire, where I ate far too many mince pies, crackers and cheese. I was fortunate enough to get a DSLR camera so took lots of pictures of the Christmas tree as you can see here.

To keep the holiday spirit going, we’d love to hear from you about your holiday period, what you got up to, where you visited and if you went to any of our holiday cottages. Also, please include any links to pictures of cottages and beautiful scenery so we can all get a feel for where you’ve been.

Eggesford Gardens Apple and Cider Fair

Oct 11

Posted by elisa in Devon, Events, Festivals, Food and Drink, shopping and culture | No Comments

Take the Tarka Line from Exeter or Barnstaple to get to Eggesford on the 16th and 17th October for the Eggesford Gardens Apple and Cider Fair.

Taste many varieties of cider and apple juice and accompany them with some apple-based preserves, cakes and pies. Along with the apple produce there will also be a selection of local beers, cheeses and honey.

This popular festival is at the perfect time in the year for apple produce tasting and walking around wrapped up warmly in a woolly coat, hat and gloves as the low autumnal sun shines down and a sharp wind whips around you.

I’d certainly be envious of anyone who can make it down as this is a beautiful part of the country at this time of year. Let us know if you do go and how you find it!

The gardens are open from 9am-5pm Saturday and 10am-5pm Sunday and further details on how to get there can be found at the website.

If you can’t make the Apple and Cider Fair, then on the 31st October Eggesford Gardens also pay host to an Autumn Craft Fair selling paintings, prints, jewellery, basketry, wood crafts and ceramics.

Art galleries and museums popular destinations

Aug 23

Posted by elisa in Exhibitions, shopping and culture, Surveys, Tourist Board | No Comments

Among the 30 million inbound visits in 2009, 4.2 million included visits to art galleries and 7.7 million to museums, earning the country a combined income of £1 billion in revenue from overseas tourists.

The statistics come from the International Passenger Survey in which VisitBritain sponsored questions on a range of activities visitors may have undertaken during their stay. 

The French proved the top museum fans just ahead of American, Germans and Spanish tourists. Americans topped the list for art galleries with well over 500,000 visits.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive, VisitBritain said: “This survey showcases the international appeal of Britain’s culture and heritage – where else could you see Grand Masters next to cutting edge installations, a Spitfire hanging next to a Dali?

“We are fortunate in the authenticity of what we have to promote and the connections that our rich culture makes across the world.”

Help to give a friendly welcome

Aug 13

Posted by elisa in News, shopping and culture, Tourist Board | 1 Comment

In the run up to the 2012 Olympics VisitBritain has issued cultural tips to help the tourism industry better welcome overseas visitors.

 ‘Market profiles’ on the VisitBritain website have been written by staff who are natives of the countries featured.

Advice includes:

A smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy – they tend to smile when angry, embarrassed, sad or disappointed.

Don’t be offended by Argentinean humour which may mildly attack your clothing or weight.

Avoid pointing at someone from Hong Kong as this is generally used only for animals, winking is also considered a rude gesture.

Do not be alarmed if South Africans announce that they were held up by robots – they mean traffic lights.

Avoid saying ‘thank you’ to a compliment by someone from China, instead, deny the compliment politely as this shows humility. 

The information can be found here.

VisitBritain says some of our key competitors for most welcoming countries include Canada, Italy and Spain. The UK is currently ranked 50th.

VisitBritain Chief Executive Officer Sandie Dawe MBE said: ”Overseas visitors spend more than £16 billion a year in Britain, contributing massively to our economy and supporting jobs across the country. So giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy.”

Fringe Festivities

Aug 10

Posted by elisa in Events, Festivals, films, Fun, Scotland, shopping and culture | No Comments

Until 30th August the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 will be spreading art, comedy, performance and dining experiences across the city.

One thing that particularly caught my eye if any readers are lucky enough to try it out is a unique dining experience whereby guests eat at a height of 100ft above the city, hanging from a crane in special seats at a large table! Skyscanner.net at running the Festival in the Skyin the beautiful Princess Street Gardens.

Other events throughout the festival are:

The Demise of Christopher Marlowe theatre production at the C Central.

Creatures Comedy Show for some dark comedy sketch show at the Jury’s Inn.

UK beatbox champion, Beardymanfrom 16th-17th August at the Udderbelly Tent.

For a free children’s event, go to the music, story-telling and puppetry of the Hamwehads from the 11th – 19th August at The Three Sisters.

Flow-pattern- John Reiach photography exhibition from 13th August at the Faculty of the Advocates.

Derry-Londonderry named 2013 City of Culture

Jul 16

Posted by elisa in Ireland, News, shopping and culture, Tourist Board | 2 Comments

Derry-Londonderryhas been named the UK’s City of Culture for 2013 winning over competition from three other short-listed cities: Sheffield, Norwich and Birmingham.

VisitBritainsaid City of Culture 2013 aims to build on the success of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008. It is regarded that this title and investment had significant social and economic benefits for the area and will help Derry-Londonderry in a similar manner.

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said: “It’s a testament to the passion and hard work that the city has already invested to win against such tough competition.”

The city of Culture is decided every 4 years. It could hold events such as the Turner prize, the Brits and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Derry-Londonderry had a huge amount of support from musicians and celebrities in its bid to win the title. Snow Patrol gave their track ‘Just Say Yes’ to be the theme tune, and Seamus Heaney and Brian Friel also backed the bid.